The door to the Salt Lake City vet clinic pitched open and out came Pinder, languidly walking through a blurry heat, and the steam seemed to come from below her paws. Her rib carriage looked slight and Macye wanted to feed her and give her water.

The eye certification could not be done in Jackson Hole. She picked up the cell after a while. Many calls later she found out the closest place was in Salt Lake called Eye Care for Animals, and it would require a road trip.

She recalls her daughter’s voice when she cuddles Pinder at night. “Puppy,” Macye says, “you have the heart of a lion.”